How to tell the difference between a
sponsored lottery game and a scam letter that says you won the lottery.
(This is not a recommendation
to play or not to play GroupLotto. GroupLotto has been chosen for comparison
purposes only. Fraud-Aid is not a GroupLotto affiliate and derives
no income from GroupLotto or any of its sponsors.)
You may have seen GroupLotto, Inc. email arriving in your
mailbox lately and wondered whether or not this is a legitimate business.
While in my opinion GroupLotto indulges in Spam, that is not the same thing as
running a con game, which is what Fraud-Aid.com addresses. We leave
the Spam issue to other specialty sites.
GroupLotto is just the opposite of lottery scams, and offers
the perfect example of the right way to present a lottery - although GroupLotto
is closer to Sweepstakes than a lottery.
Unlike lottery scams, GroupLotto gives you many ways to verify that they are
a legitimate business:
PrizeDistributors, Inc., and GroupLotto, Inc. are
domains of Traffix, Inc. (http://www.traffixinc.com), a marketing company that clearly states what they are, who
they are, where they are located, and what they do.
Everything about them can be independently verified, which means that you
don't have to take their word for anything - you can do your own homework.
You can write or call Traffix, Inc. and ask them about either domain.
The rules make it amply clear that by registering to
play, you agree to receive advertising from 3rd parties. That's why it
doesn't cost you anything to play, and why I say that this is more a
sweepstakes than a lottery.
Both GroupLotto and PrizeDistributors provide clear
instructions about how players are paid. PLEASE NOTE:
there are no up front fees!
GroupLotto gives each registered player an account
where he or she can check for winnings.
This is how you get paid: "...
All such winners will be contacted via e-mail (or certified mail and/or
telephone if they mailed in their entry) and directed as to how they can
collect their prize money through PayPal. Prize money may be withdrawn and/or
utilized by the winner in three ways: 1) PayPal can deposit your winnings
directly into your bank account (your request will be processed immediately
and your money will arrive in your bank account in 3-5 business days); 2) You
can request a personal check from PayPal (the check will arrive at your home
by U.S. mail within 1-2 weeks); or 3) You can use your prize money towards
purchases from a participating PayPal merchant."
This is
the only money you owe and how it is collected: "Federal,
state and local taxes, and all similar fees and assessments, are the
responsibility of the winner. PrizeDistributors™ reserves the right to
withhold taxes from each winning prize, as appropriate."
Please note that all monies are
collected from the winnings before distribution, and there are no agent
fees!
Disqualification has nothing to do with talking about
your winnings. On the contrary - talking about GroupLotto is greatly
encouraged.
